Chapter 5: Distance and Doubt

The heartless producers only had to say a word—

They called at midnight, their voices tense. I knew what was coming before they even finished speaking. "Can you send a revised script by tomorrow morning?"

I pulled an all-nighter revising the script, so busy I barely had time to breathe.

The only light in the house came from my laptop screen. I lived on black coffee and stale donuts, my fingers cramped from typing.

On the fifth night of sleeping in the guest room,

I’d taken to crashing in the extra bedroom, my script pages spread around me like a paper nest.

Caleb knocked on the door late at night.

His knock was soft, hesitant. He never intruded unless he had to.

"Natalie Wright."

He used my full name, like he was summoning me to the principal’s office.

Caleb rarely called me by my full name.

Usually it was just "Nat" or "babe," if he was being playful. This was serious.

I looked up in confusion.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to focus. My head was pounding from too much caffeine and too little sleep.

Caleb walked over slowly, a chill and a bit of rain clinging to him.

His hair was damp, the faint scent of rain and leather trailing after him. He looked tired, but determined.

His tone was unreadable: "Did you forget you still have a husband?"

He tried to sound annoyed, but his eyes betrayed him—soft, pleading.

"Are you planning to always sleep in the guest room from now on and live apart from me?"

He crossed his arms, but there was a tremor in his voice. My heart twisted.

Pressed against the desk by Caleb, our breaths tangled, lips meeting.

He kissed me before I could protest, gentle at first, then desperate, as if afraid I’d slip away.

Only then did I realize what he meant.

He missed me. Not just my presence, but me. The thought made my chest ache.

Blushing, I took the initiative to respond, wanting to coax him.

I reached up, fingers tangling in his hair, hoping he could feel how much I cared.

"Natalie, don’t suddenly ignore me again, okay?" Caleb suddenly said.

His voice was rough, the words tumbling out faster than usual. I could feel the vulnerability beneath his frustration.

I blinked and stammered out an explanation:

My throat went dry. I wasn’t sure how much to say, or if I could say it at all.

"I just forgot, um..."

I bit my lip, searching for words.

"I haven’t been ignoring you these days..."

I wanted to reach for him, to erase the doubt from his eyes.

Before I could finish, Caleb’s eyes darkened, and he kissed me deeply, swallowing the rest of my words.

He held me tight, as if by sheer force of will he could keep us from drifting apart.

He didn’t continue the topic.

He just kissed me again, wordless, his hands cradling my face. For a long time, nothing else mattered.

The light above seemed to sway endlessly.

The shadows danced on the walls. I felt untethered, like we were floating through space together, just the two of us.

I bit my lip and looked at our tightly clasped fingers.

I wanted to believe this meant something. I wanted to believe we weren’t just playing house.

I began to feel dissatisfied with just being respectful partners.

It hit me then—I wanted more. I wanted everything. I wanted him.

Maybe—

Maybe I could be brave. Maybe love didn’t have to be a secret.

I could try to fall in love with him, little by little.

A tiny ember of hope flickered to life in my chest.

A thought I’d always suppressed, never daring to hope, quietly began to sprout in my heart.

Maybe, just maybe, he felt something too.

[Could it be that Caleb likes me, even a little?]

The possibility was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.